Alexander Harrison is an artist and outdoorsman living in South Carolina. His landscape paintings and photography often explore moments experienced on the road, in the woods, and over the hills. He is very fast on many types of bikes.
We spoke to Alexander about his work, and how he thinks about tools.
All artworks courtesy of the artist.
Tell us a bit about yourself and what you do for a living.
My name's Alexander Harrison. I was born and raised in Greenville, South Carolina. I studied at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) for two years, then went to New York to pursue my dream of becoming an artist.
How did you first start making art?
I've always known I wanted to be an artist. I was always drawing as a kid. I was drawing dinosaurs. My mom put me in an art magnet school, so half the day I would be in an art-related class like photography, painting, ceramics, metals. So... I thank my mom for that, seeing that in me and helping me sharpen those skills over the years.
I went to a few pre-colleges. I went to Pratt Pre-College for illustration. The following year I went to MICA’s Pre-College for illustration. I thought I wanted to be an illustrator. Turns out I'm a painter at heart.
Are there through lines or themes you keep returning to in your work?
Oh, for sure. I mean, the landscapes of the South, you know. Kind of no place in particular. I think of it as my own universe I'm creating, painting by painting. It only reveals itself to me when I'm done. I have no idea what this scene is going to look like. It's funny because I didn't really appreciate landscape paintings growing up. I thought they were kind of boring.
I started adding these frames around my paintings using this technique called trompe l’oeil to amplify that feeling of being in this universe, I guess. I normally don't paint figures– or if there is a figure, it's a standalone figure.
My landscapes are fairly isolated, and mostly during the morning, just as the sun crests the top of the mountains. I guess that's because I've always been an early bird. That’s something I chase, seeing the sunrise.
What’s the relationship between being outdoors and art like for you?
I grew up here in the South. My grandpa owns a farm and my dad always had us outside doing manual labor. I guess it took me moving away to the city to appreciate how much I love the outdoors and being outside and how much I need that to recharge and get inspired.
Right now I'm kind of all over the place. Fishing, cycling, photography, hunting…
I think just making opportunities to be outside to see the beauty of the world, see a sunrise or the light cascade through a canopy. Small moments like that I strive for, either capturing them with my camera or just witnessing and being in the moment. I can come back to my paintings feeling refreshed, and take those moments and figure ways of incorporating them into my work.
How do those moments work their way into your landscapes?
I guess it's more the way I like to render light and play with perspective, forced perspective, kind of. Putting my viewers there in that landscape, or restricting my viewer from seeing the entirety of the landscape by framing it super tight to where you're only seeing one tiny moment.
You have to know what you're distorting. Witness it, gain experience. I can bring that back and use my imagination and those pictures to collage together my world, my universe. Or whatever is coming out of my brush.
What do you look for in the tools you use?
I mean, first and foremost, I'm quality first. Durability. I'm outside rubbing against rocks and shit like that. It might start raining. I want my gear to be able to keep my stuff safe and to allow me to go deeper out into nature without having to worry.
How are you using ILE bags?
I found that the Utility Organizer is the perfect dimension for a grab and go fishing kit. It fits all my soft plastics in the main compartment, and I can slide two mini tackle boxes in the webbing. Then I can just throw it over my shoulder and be on the go. It's also weatherproof, which is a plus. I bring it on my kayak.
You can check out more of Alexander’s work at his Instagram: @alexanderharrison
